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DEATH OF A KING, BIRTH OF A G: POWER by Kanye West

A powerful position is such a pivotal place, especially in American society. We fight for it, crave it, struggle for it. Power has become the focal point concerning American politics in every aspect. Kanye West's new music video for his song POWER illustrates a working definition for the term and his means for achieving it. Mixed with occult imagery, Kanye has truly made a piece of art.

Similar to the famous painting in the US Capitol, The Apotheosis of Washington...this is a portrait of Kanye West becoming a god. Recognizing major occult symbolism is the first step to understanding the meaning of the portrait. ENLIGHTENMENT is a big theme these days in popular culture. I believe the media is sending a "save yourself" type of subliminal message to encourage the youth of this generation to seek enlightenment as a means for survival and success. So, the video begins with a close up on Kanye with his eyes illuminated, signifying that HE has a light glowing from within himself. As the camera pulls out from the close up, we see that he is standing in the middle of two white pillars, echoing into the background...as if greatness is calling him. After looking up the symbols, I've learned that this is a replica of the gateway to a "new [enlightened] world," represented by the PILLARS OF HERCULES. Kanye, the black pillar in between, is representing himself as an initiate in the Masonic order.

Piece by piece, the camera reveals more symbols...including Kanye's gaudy "Horus" piece. Horus is the god of enlightenment and the god of the sky. This is why the background looks like the scene is taking place in the heavens.The eye of Horus is pretty popular symbol at this point in Time, known as the eye in the center of the pyramid. The symmetry of the portrait represents the duality of realizing enlightenment, and we see that Kanye is standing right at the border between the gates of enlightenment and the chaos of the ordered world. Also, the symmetry alludes to the idea of division. You've heard the mantra before..."DIVIDE AND CONQUER" and Kanye is doing just that by splitting the image right down the middle. GENIUS.

The camera PULLS OUT even more (perhaps because the whole concept of power means 'fuckin' with ya), to reveal what appears to be two horned goddesses equidistant Kanye, on opposing sides. The horned goddesses are ISIS and HATHOR, ancient Egyptian mythological characters, representing black, magical nature and musical liveliness and fertility, respectively. This also represents the very duality of KANYE and the nature of his music. It is also understood that the goddess Isis crowns the Pharaoh, the god of Egypt.

Speaking of kings... the haloed sword floating above Kanye's head, the SWORD OF DAMOCLES, is symbolic of another aspect of power. It seems that those at the highest echelons of power also stand to fall to the lowest heights...sometimes even to their deaths. It's a symbol of death and rebirth, a ritual of apotheosis. "The death of a king" is a masonic ritual for the 33rd degree of masonry. I believe this to be a direct allusion to the "Taylor Swift incident" at the 2009 MTV VMAs... where Kanye literally put his career in jeopardy in a public forum. KANYE HAS BEEN INITIATED into the 33rd degree of Masonry!

Pulling out further, we see maidens on their heads, revealing more symmetry and more duality. When one of the maidens drops her cloth in the air it floats, as does the water from the water bearer. This represents the defying of gravity, floating, and the achievement of the impossible, while simultaneously alluding to the satanic mantra, "AS ABOVE, SO BELOW." I also think Kanye is being funny, making a joke about how he can get females to do anything...including dropping clothes and getting wet. FUNNY (especially since I think he's gay, but whatever, "we rollin").

As the full expanse of the portrait is revealed, we see a number of conflicting realities...symbolizing earth and life. This is the ordered chaos I referred to earlier. Sin and sexuality, beauty, lust, conflict, control, mediums... all representations of the realities of human nature (according to Kanye, lol). Kanye's world begins to take SHAPE...as the portrait begins Squaring the Circle,a well-known concept of masonry.This is reinforced with the two conflicting men, fighting with swords...drawing a compass with Kanye at the center (Kanye's a G, yo, lol). He's got people fighting over him.

Courtesy of Vigilant Citizen

Now, if you're asking yourself how you were ever supposed to figure all this out on your own, that is exactly the point. You weren't. ENLIGHTENMENT is the key. Both in the video and in the real world, there is so much going on that it is hard to see the full picture unless it is fully exposed to you. Power is realized by those who seek to understand it. Look up the symbols. Become a symbol.